An analog model for a freshman orientation program for a public, urban university

Standards established by the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) served as the framework against which an analog model for a freshman orientation program of optimum design for a public, urban university was developed. The model program was based upon an analysis of published descriptions of current (1991-1993) orientation programs in a sample of 65 post-secondary institutions, responses of samples of 52 students and 46 faculty to the CAS Standards in Higher Education, and information about the ongoing orientation program at a public, urban university elicited through interviews with 299 students and 120 faculty therein. Each aspect of the analog model was patterned after the CAS Standards: mission; program; organization and administration; human rights; funding; facilities; legal responsibilities, equal opportunities, access and affirmative action; campus and community relations; multi-cultural programs and services; and evaluation. In regard to program, in particular, the model centered on active involvement by freshmen in all aspects of first-year life; peer, faculty and staff response to questions and perceived problems; and a series of workshops and special programs devoted to virtually every issue a freshman will likely encounter during his/her early experience at the institution.